NovelAppChapter 118
Liam was perched, displaying a seriousness that mirrored a little man hard at work on his artistic endeavor.
“What’s that you’re drawing?” Hazel inquired, walking up to her son and gently rubbing his hair. Liam grunted in disapproval,
adjusting his hair back. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, recognizing his aversion to head rubs the gesture was reserved only for
Ethan.
“You’re just so adorable,” she remarked, squishing his cheeks, eliciting giggles from the young artist. “That’s a pretty picture,”
Hazel complimented, peeping over to catch a glimpse.
“I’ll let you see it when I’m done,” he declared suddenly. Hazel was pleasantly surprised. “You will?” she asked.
“Yes,” he assured her.
“I would love that very much, thank you,” she replied with a smile, observing her son. Liam’s willingness to share his paintings
was a rare occurrence.
Curiosity sparked, Hazel couldn’t resist asking, “How come you want to show Mommy today?”
Liam, still engrossed in his paintings, answered confidently, “Because they’re really good. I’m so talented.” He spoke confidently
with a toothy grin.
“Yes, you are!” Hazel exclaimed joyfully. Liam had grown more confident about his drawings, he used to be really conscious and
avoided people looking at his drawings but today he was willing to share.
“I’ve always told you that you were. Took you this long to realize it, huh?” she teased, cherishing this precious moment of her
son’s budding artistic confidence.
“Mr. Princess said I’ve got so much talent. That my paintings are wonderful gifts, wonderful artworks like there’s should be
shared, as a gift to the world,” he proudly recited, recalling Ethan’s encouraging words. Hazel blinked, her smile faltering. Was
this all because of Ethan? It felt so unfair. She had spent years trying to instill confidence in Liam, and Ethan had seemingly
achieved it overnight.
“He said that?” she asked slowly. Liam nodded. His newfound confidence was a result of Ethan’s pep talks, not hers. She sighed,
a mixture of pride and frustration.
“He even showed me how to draw a nice eye,” he stated happily.
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“You really like him, don’t you?” Hazel muttered.
“Yes,” he nodded firmly. “I just wish you wouldn’t fight with him anymore,” Liam added, his innocent plea tugging at Hazel’s heart.
This was going to be really hard.
She was about to probe more when he interrupted. “It’s ready!” he exclaimed, turning the painting to show his mom. Her breath
hitched.
“This is so good, baby!” she exclaimed. “Can I take a picture?” she asked, seeking permission. He nodded, then got busy with
more paintings.
“Baby” Hazel cooed gently after a moment of silence, breaking the concentration in the room filled with the soft strokes of Liam’s
paintings.
“What do you think about Nathan?” she asked him, curious to know his perspective. Liam paused for a moment, his young eyes
staring contemplatively downwards.
perceptiveness had always been impressive.
“I don’t know, Liam,” she replied honestly, releasing a sigh. Liam, seemingly unfazed, shrugged.
“If he makes you happy,” he declared matter-of-factly before standing up to retrieve more colors for his paintings. Hazel
pondered his words, contemplating her own feelings.
“Does it make me happy?” she mused quietly to herself.
She was conflicted.
The world was so big, that had to be why she never got to find her mate, still was Nathan the right choice? She sighed wearily.
As she continued to grapple with her emotions, Hazel decided to delve into a topic that had remained untouched for a while.
“How come you’ve never asked about your dad, Liam?” she gently inquired as she stroked his cheek when he returned with
fresh colors. Liam paused his painting, his head falling slightly, his long hair dancing around his face.
“Why not?” she continued.
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“Because I don’t have one?” Liam responded, his tone more like a question. After a moment, he sighed and turned to face his
mom.
“Look, mama, I know you’re not Mother Mary, and I know how babies work,” he began, surprising Hazel with his mature
understanding.
“Okay,” she nodded slowly, intrigued by his insights.
“But, you never mentioned him. I and Daisy don’t want you to be sad, so we never asked,” Liam explained with a nonchalant
shrug.
“It means he doesn’t want us, right?” he inquired, looking at her with innocence. Hazel felt a pang in her chest. Ethan wanted
them, but her own fears and selfishness were keeping them apart.
A sigh escaped Hazel’s l*ps.
Daisy scooted over going to sit on her mom’s laps.
“I hope you and Mr. Princess make up soon, Mama,” Daisy chimed in, touching Hazel’s hair lightly.
“Yeah,” Liam agreed immediately
“I don’t like it when you guys fight.”
“Why do you and Ethan always fight?” Liam asked turning to face his mom.
Hazel sighed deeply.
Because mom’s a liar.
“I don’t know baby.” She said quietly.
Liam sat deep in thoughts and in a world of his own, Ethan hadn’t come visiting them for several days now, ever since that day
they walked in on his mom and him having a fight. Thr little boy was missing him badly. When Hazel wasn’t looking, he quietly
sl*pped away to the reception.
“Hello, miss, can I please use your phone?” he pleaded with the woman at the reception desk. She chuckled, looking down at the
adorable round-faced little boy. “Why do you need my phone?” she asked.
“I want to call my friend,” Liam asserted. “May I use your phone?” he requested
once more.
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“Of course.” She handed it over to him. Liam went straight to the call entered Ethan’s number, having memorized it by heart. The
first ring went unanswered.
Ethan, just returned from the bathroom, glanced at his phone to see a call from an unknown number. Usually calls from unknown
numbers would be filtered from his phone, but he has set it to general and had Liam memorize his number so he could always
reached him in case of any emergencies.
He stared at the phone as it rang for the third time, only few people had his phone number, it would be Liam. He has a dad,
Ethan argued with himself. It took an inward struggle not to pick. Then it rang again and he grabbed it picking instantly.
He would just pick to hear his voice and make sure he was okay so he picked.
Liam’s breathy voice went through the phone. The tense look on Ethan’s face softened instantly.
Liam’s eyes lit up when the call connected. “Mr. Princess?” he called happily. “Where have you been? Why wouldn’t you come to
see us anymore?” he inquired.
“Mr. Princess?” he called again, but silence greeted him. “Are you there? Say something,” Liam sobbed, upset. Sniffing, he
continued, “Mr. Princess?” he called again, his voice cracking.
“Mr. Princess? It’s me, Liam.” Liam said once more, but he was greeted with a haunting silence that resonated through the
phone. “Are you there? Say something.” He sobbed, his voice breaking under the weight of his emotions. “Mr. Princess?” He
called again desperation evident in his small voice.
“Mr. Princess?” Undeterred, he continued, pouring his innocent heart out. “Can you forgive my mommy? Today I made a painting
of all of us, and I didn’t hide it this time; I showed it to everyone. You said my paintings are wonderful gifts, so I stopped hoarding
them. I drew several pictures of you; I wish you’d come see it.“ Liam started conversing, unaware of the pr****nd impact his
words were having on Ethan.
Ethan held back his tears, inhaling a sharp breath. The emotional turmoil within him was palpable, torn between his longing to
respond and the painful reality he needed to enforce. “Mr. Princess?” Liam called again, a sense of hope in his voice. “Sorry, little
one,” the woman who had borrowed him the phone sighed, seeing the raw distress in the child’s eyes.
“Liam?” Daisy called as she walked up to her brother, who still had the phone pressed to his ears. The sound of her soft voice
met Ethan’s ears, intensifying the
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heartache within him. At that moment, he badly wanted to talk back to them, to communicate with them. To hug them and inhale
their baby scent. Yet, he reminded himself; he didn’t have any right to. He had to stop getting attacked immediately, the sooner
he got detached from Hazel’s kids, the better for him.
“Did he pick up? What did he say?” Daisy asked curiously, displaying a mix of concern and curiosity. “He won’t talk to us,” Liam
said sadly, his young heart grappling with the confusion of rejection. “But why?” Daisy asked, her voice filled with innocence. “He
doesn’t like us anymore?” “Mr. Princess? I miss you.” Daisy said softly, expressing the longing for a presence they held dear.
“Thank you, miss,” Liam said returning the phone back to the lady and with that, the phone line went dead. Ethan put the phone
down from his ear, his heart breaking into shards.
“I miss you too, Liam, Daisy.”
“I’m sorry.” It was for the best. He sank down into his chair, wrestling with the internal conflict. It had taken a serious battle before
he picked the phone, and another war with determination and discipline to not reply to them. At that moment, he hated Hazel
passionately.
Ethan’s arm went to the wallet on his table; he brought out the painting he kept there. Liam’s painting, neatly folded. He never
threw it away. At that moment, he felt a searing pain, as if his heart was being stabbed continuously. He clutched at his chest as
the pain intensified becoming almost suffocating.
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